Blogs will be added periodically whenever Simon runs across anything interesting he would like to share. Sooner or later, I will put an RSS feed on the site so that readers will be aware of any new blogs he may post. In the meantime, check the site periodically for anything new!

-Jenni

Jenni and I were discussing the website the other day. We still need to complete some tweaks to the gallery and upload the rest of the photos I have (including some new ones!), and add my twitter account to the contact page. Then she says, “You know? It would be really cool if I could have my own little corner as part of your webpage to do book reviews and stuff in – I have some pages like that already coded and saved on my computer.” Jenni LOVES to read. She always has a book on the go, so I said, “Sure! Let’s integrate that.” So look out for a Misc category in the links, and Jenni’s Book Corner will be appearing soon, hosted as part of my website. Jenni’s best friend Hannah, who is also a book-lover, may possibly also be adding some content as a guest writer.

I figured, hey, let’s not make it all about tech, let’s get some general interest stuff on here, too! The more the merrier!

I am seriously thinking of getting the entry-level machine from Apple. I’ve already started putting a little bit of money by. I have been interested in the Mac platform for some time. I have been more and more impressed every time I’ve played with OS X Leopard and the software available for the platform. I’m also impressed with VMware’s VMWare Fuzion product, and its Unity features enabling a user to run Windows apps on top of OS X seamlessly. I’ve followed Chris Pirillo and Jeff from BestTechie as they have made the switch from Windows systems to the Mac OS, and their experiences since making the switch. All I can say is I have become more and more impressed with what the platform has to offer compared to Windows. That said, after briefly testing the Windows 7 Beta I can tell you it is leagues ahead of where Windows Vista was when it was in Beta; 15 minutes to install, all essential hardware working out of the box (sound, graphics, Ethernet), and it generally feeling a lot snappier than Vista ever did. I’m cursed enough to run Vista on my Acer laptop and it is anything but snappy. Windows 7 performs well in a virtualised state, too, with very few problems.

However, although I believe Windows 7 will be a fine OS, given its performance in Beta at present, it still just hasn’t got as much appeal to me as OS X. With OS X i can have the best of everything, Mac, Windows, and Linux. I can install XP via Boot Camp and run it native, should I wish to, or I can virtualise it in VMWare Fuzion. Yes, I know Parallels is an option, and I would be interested in trying out the latest version to see how it stands up against VMWare.

So look out, gang! I could well be sitting in front of an iMac in a couple of months. I will most likely do an unboxing and “firing it up” video, too, and embed them here at the site.

Seriously, guys, what’s going on? Why do you insist on going around spamming your basement IRC network all over an established network? When you upset mommy and daddy and they take your internet away as punishment, err.... what are you gonna do then? How are you going to cater for your “userbase” that you’ve been attempting to poach from other networks? Unless you have dedicated servers, you’re out of luck, and a lot of these networks don’t. They run on their home connection, on Windows’ version of UnrealIRCd. Is it because having your own channel on an established IRC network isn’t enough? The kick and ban features just don’t do it for you anymore? You want more power over those who connect? Why? What do you –really- have to offer?

As a co-founder for iPocalypse IRC it has taken well over a year to get to the 240 users we have today. And each one of them is there because “they” wanna be. Not because we’ve forced them, not because we’ve spammed our network everywhere we can, and, hell, my IRC client is connected to no less than 7 IRC networks, and I find my place on each one of them without saying “hey, come over to this one, it’s sooo cool and if you’re really lucky I’ll give you an oline”. Give it a break. Stop using other networks as free advertising space for your basement server, cause you will get spamfiltered, and eventually banned after an oper sees you trigger and try to evade the spamfilter thousands of times a day. I can guarantee you wouldn’t let someone advertise all over –your- little network, so pack it in, geesh.

And, guys, a #help channel is for helping users with using the network, not for acting like an idiot in. If you haven’t got anything sensible to contribute, stay quiet or just /part the channel. Don’t come in and start flaming and baiting the opers, or other users, or trying to act like you know it all. Actually sit back and learn something, then when someone joins and asks that same question for the umpteenth time, it just might only be you who’s around to answer it, and you can answer it in a diplomatic way without looking or sounding like a know-it-all.

Also, the banter just makes things jumbled up and confusing. Part of iPocalypse’s ethos is to help the user speedily but efficiently. If people are bantering away and making that difficult it is frustrating not only for the person who needs help but for the person trying to help them (I can testify to this as a helpop on Wyldryde). And also, sometimes, a persons’ question can get lost in the banter, and they could easily feel like they are being ignored. That is not my ideal way of operating a help channel, so, the rules are simple: If you don’t know...shut up. If you wanna start a conversation do it in one of the other channels, there’s plenty of them on any good network. But let’s keep #help for network help, shall we? :)